


The Promised Land

by sweetspotatoes



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Boys' Love, Character Death, Childhood Friends, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Haikyuu!! Manga Spoilers, I'm Bad At Tagging, Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou Friendship, Kozume Kenma in Love, Kuroo Tetsurou in Love, LGBTQ Character, Love Confessions, M/M, Nekoma, One-Sided Relationship, Requited Love, Sad with a Happy Ending, Unrequited Crush, Virtual Reality, Walks On The Beach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:40:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29859615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetspotatoes/pseuds/sweetspotatoes
Summary: Kenma has always been by Kuroo's side ever since they were little, but the absence of Kenma suddenly changed Kuroo's life upside down, drowning in sorrow, Yaku tried his best to console him.
Relationships: Haiba Lev/Yaku Morisuke, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Kuroo Tetsurou/Yaku Morisuke
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	The Promised Land

**Author's Note:**

> This may contain a slight manga spoiler.  
> This is my first story on ao3 >< I hope you enjoy it! This story is also available on Wattpad with the same username! Comments and feedback are greatly appreciated :3

Part 1  
Kuroo opened the door discreetly and peeked inside through the gap, his left hand hugging the volleyball tightly and his messy bed head and his obsidian eyes glimmered with curiosity, in that bedroom, there sat Kenma, who was playing on his PlayStation and pulling an all-nighter again, his eye bags were so obvious and the veins within his eyes were seen, Kuroo approached the boy quietly, poking him. 

“Kenma,” he called out, the black-haired boy didn’t flinch at all and he turned, revealing his cat-like golden eyes and a small pout, possibly due to his defeat in the game, Kuroo looked down at the smaller boy, who was sitting crossed leg and he smiled lightly, “Volleyball?”  
Kenma shook his head and yawned, his eyes brimmed with tears as he has been staring at the screen for so long already. “I’m tired.” He commented, in his monotonous voice, Kuroo frowned, his face was scrunched up, “If I leave now, will you go to bed then?” 

Kenma looked away, nodding his head, obviously lying. Kuroo wasn’t that oblivious, after moving into the neighbourhood 2 years ago, he has managed to understand the little movements of Kenma and what they imply, he even made a list when he forgot about some of them, but in this case, he was certain that Kenma looking away was a sign of lying. Kuroo rolled his eyes and he snatched the controller from his friend, “If you can catch me, I’ll let you play! But if you don’t, you’ll have to go to bed!” He chanted teasingly, despite wanting to play volleyball with him now, he understood that what his friend needed now was sleep. So he started running in circles while sticking his tongue, hopefully, it would arouse Kenma’s interest. 

And it did work, Kenma has been a competitive person, believe it or not, and upon seeing Kuroo’s provocation, he was triggered and he was determined to claim victory in this game. He chased Kuroo who ran outside his bedroom with a giggle, he followed his footsteps in an attempt to catch him, but compared to Kuroo, he had no expertise in sports or anything that required high physicality, the possibility of him winning was rather small, and Kuroo was well aware of that. 

Kuroo smirked and sprinted towards the playground as soon as he left Kenma’s house, his hand still holding onto the controller, he didn’t drop a single bead of sweat, on the other hand, Kenma was panting heavily already, his forehead was matted with sweat and his shirt was soaked wet, it felt sticky but he needed his controller back. So he continued to chase Kuroo without any hesitation, who was already waving at him by the swing with the brightest smile, chanting, “I win! I win!” 

Kenma frowned and slowed down his pace, he bent down, trying to catch his breath and rest himself against his knees, “Is that how you win?” he asked, voice raspy and still panting, the boy nodded his head proudly, “Yes, it’s my game, so I make the rules.” He tilted his head a little and sat on the swing, swaying himself as he felt the gusts of wind blowing against him, he smiled, “Tired?” he asked, gazing at Kenma, who looked drained. The black-haired boy nodded his head with a small pout, “Yes, can you give me back my controller now?” he asked wearily, “I promise I’ll go to sleep by the time I get home.”  
Kuroo chuckled, “How will I know for sure?” he said with a devilish smirk, after pondering for a while, he jumped off the swing and did a heroic pose, “You shall play volleyball with me tomorrow! IF you have enough energy to do so, I will believe you!” He grinned after saying it, as if it was the smartest thing he had ever thought of. Kenma of course, was opposed to it, but he did lose the competition, so he had to do what needed to be done. 

After Kuroo got back to Kenma’s house to retrieve his volleyball and return the controller to him, he waved goodbye to the boy with an ecstatic smile, “Remember our promise!” He exclaimed excitedly, hopping up and down, I’ll come by around 3, you better be ready!”  
Kenma nodded his head and closed the door, he didn’t have much of a choice and so that day, before the clock reached 10, he fell asleep. 

The next day, Kuroo was proud of how lovely Kenma looked compared to before, he usually felt lethargic but today, he was full of energy, so they played and practiced volleyball over and over again until their legs felt sore. 

File Name: 18th June, 2004. 

Part 2  
“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to KENMAAAAAAAAA~! Happy birthday to you!” Kuroo chanted the lyrics out like a maniac as he danced around in the living room while Kenma’s parents were beside him, clapping their hands to accompany the rhythm. Kenma smiled ever so lightly and hid his face with his curtain of black hair, blushing lightly from embarrassment. 

After singing the birthday song, Kuroo pushed his friend to the middle, “Blow the candle and make a wish!” He cooed, staring at the warm flare flickering, Kenma nodded his head, he closed his eyes, lashes fluttering and he mumbled some words softly, so soft that even Kuroo couldn’t hear what he was saying. 

Then, he blew out the candle. 

Cheers and clappings echoed across the room along with touches of laughter, Kuroo held Kenma’s hands tightly as he pulled him to a dance, they jumped and swayed, it felt great. Despite not liking being in the centre of attention, Kenma didn’t mind sharing this kind of intimacy with his parents and Kuroo, the 3 people he trusts most. 

“I bought you a gift, open it!” Kuroo chimed excitedly, his ecstatic face and bright smile was like a sun, his eyes filled with enthusiasm, which Kenma found surprising as he seldom witnessed such excitement from his friend. So he carefully unwrapped the present, and he opened the box. 

Inside the box, there laid a keychain with a figure of a cat hanging by it. There was a red ribbon tied around it, it was adorable. Kenma gazed at the keychain, his golden-yellow eyes gleaming with curiosity, he took it out and placed it on his palm to have a better look. 

Kuroo smirked and grinned, “Glad you like it,” He said proudly, patting Kenma’s head as his hand ruffled through his black hair. The boy smiled, and turned to his parents, who were smiling at them, “We also prepared something for you Kenma.” 

They led the boys outside the house, and there stood a bicycle, Kenma was too shocked to react while Kuroo was simply smirking, his parents chuckled, “It’s time for you to learn how to ride a bike now, so you can use it when you go to school… or different places…” They exclaimed, and Kenma covered his mouth as a small giggle escaped from his mouth. 

He slowly approached his parents and pulled them into a hug, it was unusual for him, but he was so thankful, “Thank you for all of this…” He murmured. 

They finished eating the cake within minutes and so the boys decided to try using the bicycle, Kuroo claimed that he was an expert so he shall bear the responsibility of teaching Kenma how to ride a bike, they ran towards the garden and brought the bike to the playground. 

“Hop on!” Kuroo said happily, patting the seat of the bike with a grin, “I’ll push you from behind so you won’t fall.” Kenma frowned, “You’ll definitely stop pushing me, that I’m certain.” he hissed as he sat on the bike hesitantly. 

Kuroo looked away and smiled awkwardly because he was going to stop pushing the bike and let Kenma do it himself, but his friend has always been the smart one, so it was only normal that he knew what he would have done. Nevertheless, he still let loose of the bike after pushing it for a while, Kenma did notice it but he didn’t seem to care. 

“GO KENMA!!!” Kuroo chanted, jumping up and down he waved happily at the boy, who was smiling as well because it appeared that he was able to control the bike. But only after a short moment of celebratory, Kenma fell off upon losing his focus, he didn’t flinch or anything, but he just sat there, not moving and watched as the blood dripped on the ground. 

Kuroo gasped and ran towards him, he kneeled and his eyes were brimmed with tears, “Why are you the one crying?” Kenma scoffed, he continued staring at his wound, he bit his lips and turned away, almost as if he was scared to cry in front of Kuroo. 

Kuroo frowned and he wiped his tears away with his arm, pouting a bit he mumbled under his breath, “I’ll c-carry you…” he blushed from embarrassment and let his back face Kenma so that he could climb onto him easily. The boy wrapped his arms around Kuroo’s shoulders hesitantly, and his legs wobbly as he tried to climb onto his back. 

After struggling for a while, Kuroo stood up, his forehead already matted with sweat and his shirt covered with some muddy handprints from Kenma, “You okay?” He asked, Kenma nodded his head and laid his face onto Kuroo’s shoulders, Kuroo could hear the soft sniffles and the heartbeat of the boy, oh, how much he wanted to hug him right now. He grabbed the bike with one if his hands and began walking towards Kenma’s house. 

Luckily, the distance between the park and Kenma’s house was quite short, so Kuroo was able to bring Kenma home without struggling, upon letting him down, he noticed how puffy Kenma’s eyes were and he could felt wetness on his shoulder, with a frown, he gave him a hug. 

“It’s okay,” He said softly, ruffling through his hair and rubbing circles on his back, he pushed Kenma in, and bowed to his parents, “Sorry auntie, sorry uncle, Kenma fell down because I was being irresponsible.” He apologised, and he looked up, they simply smiled and patted Kuroo’s head, “It’s not your fault, now go back home before your parents get worried, Kenma will be fine, don’t worry.” 

Kuroo nodded his head and thanked them, he waved at Kenma, and gazed at his wounds, holding a thumbs up, “I’ll come by tomorrow, don’t worry!” He said, trying to cheer him up which did as Kenma nodded with a small grin. 

File Name: 16th October, 2007 

Part 3  
“ACHOO!” Kuroo sneezed loudly, which caused him to become the centre of attention in the classroom, the teacher sighed heavily as a few students giggled, “Kuroo kun, I’ve told you many times already, if you’re sick then go to the nurse’s office now.” He shook his head and sighed again. 

Kuroo chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, “I’m not sick! I’ll be fine! I swear!” He exclaimed, the teacher nodded his head, “If you’re unwell, you may take a rest.” So he continued his lesson. 

Kuroo’s sight became hazier and hazier, he tried hard to focus on every word that escaped from the teacher’s mouth, he tried to take notes but he was just writing gibberish at this point, without any realisation, he fell asleep. 

He opened his eyes, seeing the ceiling and he turned his head as he saw Kenma sitting beside him, playing on his phone and hugging his school bag tightly, “What happened?” He asked, causing Kenma to jump from surprise. 

“You got a fever idiot, your classmates had to bring you to the nurse’s office.” Kenma hissed, he put down his phone and frowned, “You’re lucky that you fainted during the last lesson, otherwise, you would have to stay here for hours.” He continued to mumble words, lecturing and bullying Kuroo, but Kuroo merely smiled and giggled, which triggered Kenma more. 

“What are you laughing at you idiot? Is this so funny? Is getting sick a joke now?” He asked, he stood up and snatched the cold towel from Kuroo’s forehead, he then rinsed it with water and placed it back again. At that moment, all Kuroo could hear was his heartbeat, it skipped a beat and it pounded faster, he could feel his face heating up but he brushed it off by thinking that it was due to his fever. 

“Stop smiling like some idiot now, I called your parents and they will come and pick you up,” He rolled his eyes upon seeing how… stupidly handsome Kuroo looked, with his devilish grin and his messy bedhead, the way his obsidian eyes reflected the rays of sunlight that shone through the room, and the soft wind blowing against his hair. 

The curtains of the window swayed, and for a moment, no words were exchanged, they were simply gazing, no, they were admiring each other, they were so in love yet they hadn’t realised it yet. Kuroo gazed at Kenma’s catlike eyes, those golden eyes that gleamed with such beauty, he was gorgeous. 

This moment they shared was filled with serenity, perhaps the sunset was making the atmosphere more romantic, but the rosy pink sunlight that dappled the leaves caused their cheeks to flush red. 

Kenma looked away, he gulped and stood up, “I’m- I’ll go to your classroom… to check if I left anything when packing your… school bag…” he mumbled those words under his breath and ran off, with a litany of profanities escaping from his mouth. 

Kuroo blinked with confusion and chuckled, he tilted his head and smiled upon remembering Kenma’s face just now. His eyes… his black hair… his pink nose… the tip of his ears blushing red due to the sunset… his low, soft voice… everything about him was… amazing. 

He stared at the ceiling for a while, he could feel his heart beating faster than usual, his face was hotter as well. It must be a fever, he thought, deep down he knew it was not, but maybe he just didn’t have the guts to admit it back then. 

“If only… these are real…” He said quietly, he grabbed the white sheets tightly, even the touch felt real, it amazes Kuroo how much potential Kenma has when it comes to creating a video game. He sighed and smiled again, as he saw Kenma came in. 

“You’re back.” He said, his voice almost sounded like it was about to break, Kenma nodded his head, “Y-yes… I checked and I don’t think that I left anything… I should leave now, your parents-” 

“Don’t leave yet.” Kuroo said, his deep voice almost sounded like a growl, causing chills to Kenma, he grabbed Kenma’s wrist and pulled him towards himself, “Stay here with me, for now.” 

Kenma sat on the side of the bed, shocked and surprised of what he was doing now, “Kuro…” He said softly, then, he nodded his head and stroked Kuroo’s forehead with a smile, he touched the wet towel and giggled, causing Kuroo to blush lightly. 

“When… it’s just us here,” Kenma said, his face flushing red again, probably from embarrassment, “I think… I feel… happy.” The screen glitched a little but Kuroo quickly shook it off and smiled at him. 

File Name: 26th May, 2010

Part 4  
“Tora…” Kenma said shyly, he bit his lips and gripped Yamamoto’s jacket tightly, “Can you help me… with something?” He asked, he looked away and gulped, “Please…” 

~ 

“GET INSIDE!” Yaku yelled, he pushed Kuroo inside the gymnasium, the lights were turned off and he could see nothing, “YAKKUN, WHAT IS THIS?” Kuroo shouted, his voice with hints of anger and irritation, he proceeded to stand there and disobey Yaku’s orders, which annoyed the latter, a lot. 

“JUST GET INSIDE!” Yaku shouted, he kicked Kuroo into the gymnasium and slapped the back of his head. Kuroo rolled his eyes and stared at his dark surroundings with confusion, “Now what? Somebody’s gonna jump out and say happy birthday?” He asked, with a devilish smirk which irritated Yaku a lot. 

But surprisingly, nobody jumped out to surprise him, instead he just continued standing there, that was until Yamamoto suddenly appeared out of thin air, and he slapped a pie right into Kuroo’s face with a loud giggle. 

“HAH?” Kuroo roared loudly, he turned and the lights were turned on, revealing his teammates standing by a table, with a cake and a banner indicating, “Happy Birthday Captain!” Balloons were tied around it and there in the middle, stood Kenma, with one the brightest smile that he had ever seen, which warmed his heart, he could feel his heart skip a beat and his face flushed red beneath the cream of the pie on his face. 

“CAPTAIN! I HOPE YOU LIKE THE PIE!” Yamamoto shouted energetically, he held his fist up high and grinned, “It’s an apple pie, baked by Kenma!” he said proudly, he then burst out a roar of laughter as soon as he saw Nekoma's captain again, his face covered with cream and his obsidian eyes glowing with anger. 

“YAMAMOTO…” He shouted, then he started chasing the second year around, while the others chuckled, “Oi! Stop chasing each other, we still need to eat the cake!” Yaku mothered them, while Kai was dividing the cake into separate slices to distribute to their teammates. “SIT DOWN!” Yaku shouted again, he grabbed Kuroo and Yamamoto by the corner of their shirts and dragged them towards the seats. 

Then the group took a few pictures with Kuroo smiling, of course the cream was still on his face but that moment, nothing really mattered for him, he was so happy. So… blissful. 

The team started eating the cake, it was delicious and although Kuroo and Yaku were bickering throughout the party, they enjoyed themselves a lot, Kuroo even noticed Kenma chuckling occasionally. 

“You’re finally 17,” Yaku said with a sigh, he turned to Kuroo who was frowning, “But you’re 17 too…” Kuroo said with a smirk, the two started bickering at each other again, but despite all of that, they had so much fun. Kuroo loves his team so much, and spending time with them allowed him to be in pure bliss, he loves Kenma so much for doing this, despite loathing crowds, he still organised this party. Oh, how much Kuroo wanted to kiss Kenma on the spot. 

But Kuroo shook his thoughts away and continued focusing on his teammates, he had a few childish arguments with Yaku and Yamamoto, he also mocked Lev’s stupidity and had fun listening to Fukunaga’s jokes. Although he felt bad for Kai, who had to maintain good orders in the gymnasium. 

After eating the cake, they began dancing and playing games together, Fukunaga has said a few jokes to entertain the crowd and interactions between Lev and Yaku also caused the team to burst into waves of laughter, by the end of the party, Yamamoto dragged Kenma by his side, who was hiding in some corner throughout the party and he grinned, “TO KENMA! WHO ORGANISED THIS PARTY!” He yelled, Kenma glared at Yamamoto and kicked him by his leg, growling, “I told you not to do this, I hate being the centre of the attention-” His golden dyed hair covering his face as he glowered, but the crowd simply cheered for him and Kuroo, was giving him a thumbs up. 

He approached Kenma with a smile, “Can I hug you?” He asked, Kenma blushed lightly and turned away, he glanced at his teammates who were smiling at him as well, and so he nodded his head. 

Kuroo immediately pulled Kenma into a warm hug, he squeezed him tightly and he could feel his heartbeat, Kuroo chuckled, “Thank you pudding head.” He chimed, causing the tip of Kenma’s ears blushing red, the teammates giggled and they walked towards them to offer their captain and Kenma a hug. 

“NOPE! NOT TODAY, TODAY, KENMA BELONGS TO ME!” Kuroo snickered, he said without any hesitation and grinned, his devilish smirk being more provoking than ever which irritated the team a lot, Kenma, on the other hand, was simply blushing at Kuroo’s hug and words, his curtain of golden hair allowed himself to hide his flustering.

The team groaned, and so after a few games later, the party ended. They cleaned up the gymnasium and bid farewell to each other, Kuroo and Kenma of course decided to walk home together, like they usually would. 

So the two walked in silence, they gazed at the sunset and listened to the chirpings of the birds, no words were exchanged, and they were in pure bliss. “Kuro…” Kenma mumbled softly, his raspy voice was so calming that it caused Kuroo’s heart to skip a beat. “I… I got this for you…” He said quietly, as he took out a keychain and handed it to Kuroo with a blush on his face. 

The keychain was a black kitten, with a red ribbon tied around it, it was very similar to the one that Kuroo gave Kenma a few years ago, the one that was hanging on Kenma’s bag now. He smiled and patted his head, his hand going through his golden hair and he bent down, his face only a few inches away from Kenma’s. 

“Thank you, I know you don’t like crowds yet this party you organised… Thank you so much.” He said, in his low baritone voice that almost sounded like a growl, Kenma nodded his head, “I like seeing you happy…” he blushed and looked away, he played with his fingers for a while and covered Kuroo’s eyes with his hand. 

Standing on his tiptoes, he gave a peck on Kuroo’s cheeks, his eyes closed shut and his ears blushing red, his face was a hot mess and his palms were covered with sweat. Kuroo didn’t move for a while, he stood there, bent down in silence, he could see Kenma’s face through the gaps of his fingers and he gulped. 

Kenma hesitantly removed his hand from Kuroo’s eyes and he looked away immediately, while Kuroo was simply blinking with confusion. “G-good night…!” He said abruptly, running away from the older boy, he was far too awkward for this. Kuroo stood there, he touched his cheek and rubbed his temples, he then fell on the ground, hugging himself and screamed internally. 

“What…” He murmured to himself, he then chuckled and rubbed his temples, “That’s the best birthday present ever…” 

Despite that kiss Kenma gave Kuroo on that day, their relationship didn’t change much, sure there have been more flirtings but for some reasons, they were sure that those simply some platonic flirtings. Kenma claimed that the kiss was just out of the moment and it meant nothing, but Kuroo didn’t think so, nevertheless, he decided not to push any further into this topic if it made him feel uncomfortable. 

File Name: 17th November, 2012

Part 5  
“KUROO SAN!” Yamamoto cried, tears rolling down his cheeks endlessly and loud sniffings echoing across the classroom, “Yamamoto, calm down, we’re graduating, not dying.” Yaku sighed heavily, who was fixing his tie, mothering his teammate one last time. 

After the graduation ceremony, the team decided to stay with the third year’s classmates for a last reunion at school. And so, while Yamamoto was performing some dramatic dialogues to his senpais, Kenma was playing on his Gameboy, he sat on one of the desks and groaned upon staring at the big words indicated on his screen, “DEFEAT”. 

He rolled his eyes and hissed, “Must be all these moody atmosphere, affecting my focus… and that boring graduation ceremony…” He mumbled under his breath and glanced at Kuroo, who was gazing at him with a smile but he blushed slightly and looked away upon noticing that Kenma saw it. 

“Kenma, why aren’t you sad? THEY’RE GRADUATING!” Yamamoto exclaimed, swinging his arms back and forth to explain how much he would miss Kuroo, Kai and Yaku. Kenma of course, wasn’t listening attentively, his gaze was cloudy and he yawned, “It’s not like they’re dying, besides, I can still see Kuroo from time to time…” 

The room went silent and Kai chuckled, “Well you aren’t wrong, you two do live close together, I supposed that Kuroo’s graduation wouldn’t affect you much.” He smiled and Yaku nodded his head in agreement, “And we can still come by to watch your matches, don’t worry!” He turned to Yamamoto and Fukunaga, “You two better take care of Kenma.” 

The two boys saluted and Yaku turned to Lev, “AND YOU BETTER PRACTICE YOUR RECEIVES!” He shouted, kicking Lev’s legs causing the taller one to yelp in pain, “Okay, okay, demon senpai, stop mothering them,” Kuroo said mockingly, Yaku turned and kicked Kuroo as well, he smiled and crossed his arms together, “I had a lot of fun at this school, thank you all.” 

“Stop it with your sentimental speech Yakkun.” Kuroo yelled, and yet another argument between them evolved, but they broke into laughter, Kai smiled as well and he gave the third year a hug, “I’m glad.” 

They gave Kai a hug, trying to hold back their tears, “I’m gonna miss this team… a lot.” Kuroo said, he giggled and turned to his teammates, “We're like the blood in our veins.” He said suddenly, his teammates followed his lead without any hesitation and so did Kenma, “We must flow without stopping. Keep your oxygen moving and your mind working” The team roared with a loud cheer afterwards, and in midst of the cheerings, Kuroo and Kenma gazed at each other with a smile. 

The first and second years bowed at the third years, caught up in the moment, tears and sobbing began echoing across the classroom, “THANK YOU!” Yamamoto chanted emotionally, the team broke into laughter and they formed a circle to hug each other. 

“We’re finally graduating…” Kai said, memories of the time he had spent here at this school flooded his mind, the constant bickering between Kuroo and Yaku, the time when Kenma lost his focus during a match, the time when his teammates got into a fight, they were all such beautiful memories. 

The team bid farewell to each other, Kenma waited for Kuroo, who was taking pictures with his friends until it was about 6, but he didn’t rush him, after all, he was finally leaving this school. After these eventful 3 years, he was finally graduating, and Kenma was so proud of him. 

Kuroo waved to his friends and turned to Kenma with a smile, “Let’s go.” He said, he grabbed his bag and loosen his red tie, holding Kenma’s hand tightly as he led him out of the classroom.  
“Before we head home, I want to go somewhere.” 

Kuroo got on his bike and he patted his backseat, “Get on, we’re going to the beach.” He flung his bag onto the basket and waited for Kenma to get on, the boy sat on the seat hesitantly, he wrapped his around Kuroo’s waist and laid his head on his back. 

Kuroo didn’t expect him to be so active but he didn’t mind it at all, so they began their ride to the beach. It wasn’t far away, and the ride was rather peaceful, it was summer by then, the birds passed by, chirping and the sun was setting, a blanket of pink and orange covered the sky and the silent, serene atmosphere surrounding them felt surreal. 

Kenma could feel Kuroo’s heartbeat, it was slow and steady, the rhythm created was so calming that he almost fell asleep, until Kuroo decided to interrupt the absolute silence between them. 

“Kenma, you know, I like going to the beach during summer.” He said cheerfully, it was so out of the blue and Kenma just chuckled, “Yea… I know that.” He said shyly, burying his head on Kuroo’s head. 

They could hear the sounds of the ocean waves and the seagulls, they quickly hopped off the bike and they ran towards the beach. They took off their shoes and rolled up their pants as they stepped onto the water, Kenma could feel the sand running through his toes and the waves crashing onto them, he giggled and smiled, the sunset was gorgeous. 

The sea, sparkling and twinkling like stars as the rays of sunlight reflected on the surface of it, the waves crashed onto the rocks and the soft humming of Kuroo… he felt like he was in heaven… 

Warmth flowed from him, his lips quivered and his breathless voice trembling upon the soft breeze that blew against him. 

“I like you.” Kuroo said suddenly, he grabbed Kenma’s hand and gripped it tightly, “I like you Kenma.” Kuroo blushed and turned away, flustered and embarrassed, he bit his lips and said it again, “I like you.” 

They stood there in silence for a moment and Kenma bent down, he placed a few strands of his hair behind his ear and smiled, “I… like you… too.” He found a seashell and picked it up, handing it to Kuroo, he stood on his tiptoes, attempting to give a peck on the cheek for Kuroo, but this time, Kuroo bent down and held the side of Kenma’s cheeks, his face, a few inches away from Kenma’s and he pressed his forehead against him. 

They broke into a small chuckle and Kuroo stroked Kenma’s cheek lovingly, “You have no idea… how much I wish to experience this with you once again…” 

The last sunshine fell with romantic affection upon their faces, the glow faded gradually, yet their eyes were still gleaming with such affection, Kuroo’s obsidian eyes and Kenma’s golden-yellow eyes twinkled with hope and love, and the once crimson sky now was covered with darker shades of blue. 

“I like you too.” 

File Name: 17th June, 2012

Part 6  
The screen shone brightly inside the dark room, with the big words on the screen indicating the date, “17th June, 2012” Kuroo sighed heavily and he fell from the bed with a loud thud. He took off his VR headset and groaned loudly, walking out of his room to prepare for the day. 

He washed his face and brushed his teeth, he saw how noticeable his eye bags were but he didn’t care, his messy bed head was tangled and so he combed it despite it wasn’t making much difference. 

With a heavy sigh, he put on his suit, fixed his tie and got out of his apartment to go to work. The loud traffic noises bothered him a lot and he rubbed his temples, he desperately wanted to go home right now but he has skipped a day at work already, it would be irrational to skip another. 

He has been working as an editor in newspaper for a while, it provided him a stable income and he was able to save enough money to buy himself an apartment, he glanced at his phone to check the time, his mind still a bit hazy, upon seeing the date of today, he trembled and sighed again. 

27th February, 2020 

With a slight groan, he crossed the road carefully, checking his left and right to ensure that no cars were passing by, then he arrived at his office after a few minutes. He was grateful that his office was near his home so that he didn’t have to spend more money on taking the public transport. 

He greeted a few of his colleagues and began his day at work, surprisingly, time passed by before he even realised that it was time to go home, so he packed his bags and left the office. 

He has been living around here for 2 years already, and ever since then, he has a habit of visiting Yaku’s cafe after work, after all, he does enjoy seeing his friend. 

So he opened the door of the cafe, and a soft chime rang, with a voice calling out, “Welcome! Feel free to take a seat-” Yaku paused as he turned around with a smile, he grinned and approached Kuroo, “Usual thing?” He asked, pulling out a chair for his closest customer and friend, Kuroo nodded his head wearily and sat on the chair lazily. 

Within a few moments, a hot steamy slice of apple pie was placed in front of Kuroo, with a cup of black coffee and Yaku quickly sat on the chair next to him. With a smile, he asked, “How was your day?” 

“Normal. Nothing special, just the same old thing,” He took a bite of the pie and gave a grimace of pain, “not that I dislike it.” he added, to avoid the constant mothering from Yaku. But the latter merely rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, “I know you skipped a day of work recently, your colleagues told me when they came by.” 

Kuroo’s face was scrunched up, he chewed the bite of pie in agony and ran through his own hair with his other hand, letting out a soft groan, “So? What’s your point?” He looked across the windows, gazing at the somber and starless night sky, the moon covered with clouds and traffic lights blinking. 

Yaku, who noticed the eyebags under Kuroo’s eyes immediately frowned, he rubbed his temples and sighed, “Are you using that thing again?” He said bitterly, “I’ve told you many times already, you have to stop-” 

“Using it to end my lingering thoughts of Kenma, yes I know that, but… I just can’t live like this without him…” His voice trembled, he took another bite of the pie and sniffed, “Everything around me is reminding me of him, how can I move on?” He laid wearily on the comfy chair and let out another heavy sigh, covering his eyes with his hand as Yaku noticed a stream of tears rolling down his cheeks and dripped down his chin, landing on his suit, “We could have been living the happiest life together, we were so in love, so in love that he was so caught up in the moment…” 

“You still have me.” Yaku said suddenly, interrupting Kuroo’s train of thought, he removed his hand and gazed at Yaku’s hazelnut eyes, eyes still brimmed with tears and he let out a chuckle, “You’re right, I still have you…” He finished his apple pie and took a sip of his black coffee, “Tell me about Kai, I haven’t seen him for a while,” He said, wiping his tears away, Yaku let out a forced chuckle, placing his head on his palms, “You haven’t seen him because you haven’t been coming to our reunions ever since… you know-” 

“Kenma’s death, right.” Kuroo said abruptly, sipping the black coffee again, “Sorry, j-just continue.” He rubbed the back of his head, Yaku nodded his head, “He’s doing great, been travelling around for some time now, he even posted pictures of himself on instagram, you should download it and follow his account.” He continued babbling about other teammates’ current lives, and they all seemed to be living a stable, happy life, and Kuroo was really happy for them. 

Finally, he finished his coffee in half an hour, he turned to Yaku with a smile, “What about you?” he asked, wiping his mouth with a piece of tissue paper, Yaku rolled his eyes, grabbing the plate with a few crumbs and the cup, walking towards the bar to wash them, “Since when do you care? But for your concern, I’m doing great.” 

He placed the clean plates and cups inside the cupboard and took off his black apron, hanging it by the door of the staff, “Let’s go home together.” He suggested, patting his clothes to avoid any wrinkles on it, Kuroo blinked at him with confusion, tilting his head a little, “Why? It’s still early for you to close it.” 

“Please, I own a cafe, closing it earlier for one day wouldn’t do much harm for me.” He locked the doors with his key and latched onto Kuroo’s arm with a grin, “Let’s go.” 

So they began walking in silence, somehow it made Kuroo feel like Kenma was back, Yaku’s tender touch against his skin felt so familiar and he turned to him, gazing at his brown, short hair and hazel eyes, his short eyebrows and his height. He felt like he was back in 2012. 

“Hey, I know you’re not comfortable talking about this but I really want to help you so-”

“I was just 24 when Kenma passed away,” Kuroo began, out of the blue, Yaku wasn’t expecting him to be the person who started the topic but he was glad. Perhaps today, he could finally stop lingering in the past. 

Watching Kuroo living the past was the most painful thing that Yaku has ever experienced, he hated that he couldn’t do anything about it, and he couldn’t imagine the agony that Kuroo was living in. So he was really glad that he was finally willing to talk about it. 

“That night, we just had a date in the restaurant, it was a starry night, the soft breeze blew against my skin and I even trembled against it, but I still lent my jacket to him because he looked so vulnerable.” Kuroo pondered for a while and forced a smile, “But I had to head for work as there was an emergency, some mistake in the paper I have handed in, so I asked him to go back home first, we could have headed there together but I was being an idiot…” 

He let out a small chuckle and sighed, “That idiot… was too busy replying my messages after we separated on our own ways, I was flirting and teasing him, and he was just replying to my messages, that idiot… that dumbass… didn’t even pay attention to the roads…” 

He took out his phone and handed it to Yaku, the messages he had with Kenma 2 years ago, then he continued, “Accidents happen I guess, I just wasn’t… prepared for it.” He gazed at Yaku lovingly with his usual smirk that he wore at high school, “At least I have you here with me.” he said those words softly, under his breath. 

Yaku wasn’t really listening to him attentively, he was simply reading the texts, the bright screen illuminated on his face and he scrolled through them carefully. 

“:> Tell me when you get home” -Kuroo 7:34PM  
“ok” -Kenma 7:34PM  
“>:( Don’t be so cold to me through the texts, I just left and I miss you already” -Kuroo 7:35PM  
“shut up” -Kenma 7:35PM  
“stop turning me on idiot” -Kuroo 7:35PM  
“Wtf” -Kenma 7:36PM  
“anyway, I’ll be back home by 9, alright?” -Kuroo 7:36PM  
“ok” -Kenma 7:36PM  
“love you <3” -Kuroo 7:36PM  
seen 

And that was it. No reply. Nothing at all. Then Kenma was gone. Yaku handed the phone back to Kuroo, “I’m really sorry.” He said quietly, he looked away and smiled with the slightest frown, “But he saw your message, that’s what matters, right?” 

“Yea, I guess so… And I still have that VR headset and game he gave me years ago…” Kuroo blurted the words out, without realising it, Yaku frowned and slapped him immediately. 

“You’re abusing it.” He glowered, kicking Kuroo’s leg causing the latter to yelp in pain, “Kenma gave you that gift for you to entertain yourself, not grieve on his death or reminisce the past.” His face softened, “Come back, I- We miss you, the team misses you so much.” 

Kuroo frowned and looked away, “Saying those things won’t change what had happened, and without Kenma, my life is meaningless and dull.” He looked over at the sombre night, but within that broad sky, he noticed a star twinkling brightly, he groaned upon seeing it and waved at Yaku wearily, “I need to head to the store to buy something, you can go home first.”

But Yaku shook his head, stomping his feet, “No, I’m staying here with you.” He said angrily, but Kuroo simply rolled his eyes and patted Yaku’s head, which made Yaku even angrier, “Go home Yakkun, it’s late.” 

He finally stopped arguing and nodded his head quietly, he then hesitantly waved at Kuroo, who waved back with a forced smile. 

“Idiot.” He mumbled under his breath, shoving his hands inside his pockets after waving at Kuroo and his bit lips, “Idiot…” He repeated, eyes brimmed with tears and lips quivering from pain. 

“Why can’t you just listen to me?” 

Part 7  
Kuroo bought some new tubes of toothpaste and headed back to his apartment, he took a quick shower and had an onigiri for dinner, he then laid on his bed and put on his VR headset, ready to indulge himself in the game once again. 

The screen shone brightly, with words indicating, “Kuro’s Birthday Present!”, he clicked the button, “Memory” hesitantly, scrolling through dates of special moments that he and Kenma had shared through their years of growing up. 

The game created by Kenma consisted of 30 memories, Kuroo can select the memory by his own will and relive that memory again through the virtual reality that he had created, it was a simple game really, but Kenma made it for Kuroo as a birthday present when he was turning 22. 

Kuroo has always talked about how much he missed going to school after his graduation, because reality and work were too demanding, so Kenma designed this game for him, it was nothing special really, but to Kuroo, it meant the whole world to him.

He carefully clicked on 17th June, 2012 file, ready to relive this moment again, he knew what he was doing was wrong, that he shouldn’t be lingering on the past, but he misses Kenma so much, he wants to see his face every day like he used to do so, he couldn’t bear to live one day without him. 

Then suddenly, Yaku’s face came across his mind, his hazel eyes and thick brows, his small lips and his angry yet honest personality. Kuroo shook his head aggressively and groaned, taking off the VR headset angrily, he shoved it back into his drawer and laid on his bed. 

Drown in his own thoughts, he sighed, remembering what had happened that night, when he heard the news about Kenma’s passing, he panicked and fell onto the ground, grabbing his hair tightly and he laughed, he couldn’t accept it at that time, and to be honest, he still couldn’t accept it now. 

Kuroo would listen to audios that Kenma had sent him through messenger and cried himself to sleep every night after his passing, he would hug himself and even when Yaku came by to console him, he would push him away out of frustration. 

And now, Kuroo could feel a stream of tears rolling down his cheeks, landing on his pillowcase, he turned and grabbed onto his blanket, crying under it he let out a small chuckle. 

How has life without you come to this? He thought, choking on his own weeping, he glanced at the kitten keychain hanging on his pencil bag, placed on his working desk beside his bed, the red ribbon was tainted with shades of grey but it still looked beautiful. 

Just like the day that Kenma gave it to him. He sighed and wiped his tears away, looking at the ceiling with his arms spread out, he thought to himself, maybe Yaku was right, maybe he should really stop lingering in the past. 

He has missed so many big events in his former teammates’ lives ever since his death, he drifted apart from them except for Yaku, as his cafe was near his office. Maybe he should stop using the headset, and start taking control of his own life. 

He recalled that day when Kenma organised a surprise birthday party, despite hating crowds and interactions with many people, he still did it for Kuroo, and Kuroo doesn’t need a reply from Kenma saying “I love you too.”, because deep down, his actions already proved it. 

And he would feel awful if he knew that his death was causing this much pain. But how can one simply move on after one night of reflection? Nevertheless, Kuroo tried to compose himself and he rolled over, snuggling under his blankets, he sighed heavily. 

That night, after 2 years of the absence of Kenma, he finally stopped using the headset for one night, and he fell asleep before it was midnight. 

“Kuro,” That name rolled off ever so naturally from Kenma’s mouth, Kuroo opened his eyes, still bleary, he gazed at Kenma with confusion. The curtain of golden hair hid the sides of his face as he placed a few strands of them behind his ear. He said something, it was peaceful and his voice sounded so dreamy, Kuroo closed his eyes upon listening to Kenma’s soothing voice.  
He was filled with bliss and serene, and then he woke up with the worst headache, tears rolling down on his cheeks and dripped from his chin. 

Kuroo blinked with confusion, he stared at the clock, indicating, “10:00 AM”. He’s late for work, he quickly called his office to excuse himself from work for today. Groaning in pain and agony, he sighed, “What was that dream…” 

He pondered on his own thoughts, he had heard about people dreaming of their loved ones after their passing, but he never thought that it was real but last night, that dream, it felt so real, yet he couldn’t recall what Kenma had told him in the dream, he only remembered him falling asleep upon listening to the soothing, angelic voice of his lover, and that small, gorgeous smile of him. 

He smiled thinking about it, he was so… so glad that he could finally meet Kenma in his dreams, he never thought that it would actually happen but it did. 

Kenma… he’s in a better place now… 

He grabbed his VR headset, gazing at it and he touched the rough surface of it, reminiscing the past, that time when Kenma gave this present for him on his birthday. 

“This virtual reality I designed, was to accompany you when you feel alone… and witnessing special moments can make you happier… hopefully.” 

He put it down and prepared himself a cup of coffee, now that he was able to stay at home alone without indulging himself in the game, he could finally think about what Kenma actually meant. 

Witnessing special moments… 

He thought to himself, the smell of coffee beans spread across the living room and he stirred the mixture gently, “That’s right… I’m witnessing them… not reliving them. 

Suddenly, he heard a loud knock from his door, he peeked through the hole, revealing Yaku, who was stomping on his left foot angrily, hazel eyes filled with fury and he was biting his lips. 

Kuroo opened the door hesitantly, and without any hesitation, Yaku barged in and sat on the sofa, “Well hello to you too.” Kuroo said sarcastically, he closed the door and locked it, sipping his coffee that he had prepared and sat on the sofa next to Yaku. 

“So? What are you doing here?” Kuroo asked, Yaku clicked his tongue in annoyance and irritation, “I thought that you were sick.” He said finally, looking away, staring at the coffee table in front of them to avoid eye contact with Kuroo. 

“Your colleagues came by, talking about how you skipped work again, and you skipped once already this week, what the hell were you thinking?” Yaku continued his rambling, he groaned in frustration and grabbed the coffee from Kuroo, drinking it to continue his rant. 

Kuroo blinked at him blankly and let out a chuckle, “Why do you even care so much?” He said it unintentionally, it was meant to be a joke as he was positive that a friend wouldn’t go this far to barge inside someone’s home uninvited just to check up on him. 

And he was expecting Yaku to snap back at him, instead, Yaku simply sat that, stunned and face flustered, probably from embarrassment. He played with his fingers and toyed his feet, swaying them back and forth, then, Kuroo finally realised it. 

“Why did you choose to open the cafe around here 2 years ago?” He asked suddenly, he crossed his legs and glanced at Yaku’s face, he looked like a complete mess. The tips of his ears were hot red and his cheeks were flustered, his forehead matted with beads of sweat and his eyes filled with timidity. 

The room was silent for a moment, unwilling to answer the question, Kuroo repeated it again, “Why?” He gripped onto his own thighs, clenching them tightly. 

“Because I care,” the words escaped from Yaku’s mouth, quiet and soft, very unlike his typical self who was always so loud and aggressive, “As a friend…” 

Dishonesty. Kuroo thought to himself, he never thought that he would find it within Yaku, the honest and blunt Yaku who would snap at his teammates whenever they did something wrong, yet now, he was denying his feelings towards him. 

Kuroo knew that he himself was unable to reciprocate Yaku’s feelings now, after all, he was so certain that Kenma was his one and only soulmate. No one can make him feel the same way that Kenma had, and he was determined to make Yaku confess his feelings so that he won’t hold any hopes for him, so that he could move on from a bastard who was still living in the past. 

Besides, he always thought that there was going on between him and Lev, but that wasn’t his business to bother, because right now, he had to make Yaku move on, he shouldn’t be in love with someone who wouldn’t reciprocate his feelings. 

“Yakkun, you could have chosen a more popular area to open it yet you chose it near my office,” Kuroo said, attempting to provoke him again, but this time, he saw Yaku’s body trembling, he looked so… so vulnerable. He heard sniffles and he knew, he messed up. 

“Wait, why are you cry-” 

“I’m not crying.” Yaku snapped, shoving Kuroo’s hand away as he was trying to approach him, he turned away and hugged himself, pouting, “You can’t control who I like.” 

“I thought Lev likes you-” 

“I don’t-” He interrupted Kuroo’s sentence and raised his voice, which he then tried to tone it down, “I don’t see Lev that way. He’s a really nice guy, but I couldn’t view him as a man.” 

“So you view me as a ‘man’?” Kuroo said mockingly, he ruffled through his own hair, entangling the knots within him and licked his lips, he snatched the mug that Yaku was holding, placing it on the coffee table. 

He noticed how flustered Yaku looked, and for no reason, his heart thundered for a moment, that fluttering feeling made him weirded out, Yaku pondered for a while and finally, he answered his question, “Yes…” He replied hesitantly, and that hesitation somehow ticked Kuroo off. 

He growled from anger and laid wearily on his sofa, “Look, we’re adults, we’re already 26, let’s handle this maturely,” He coughed and looked at his friend in the eyes, “What am I to you?” He asked sternly, he could feel a bead of sweat forming on his forehead, this is it, he thought, their relationship might be awkward and stiff, but Yaku had to move on, he couldn’t bear to see his friend suffering with him. 

Yaku, too, realised that they should handle it with maturity, so he took a deep breath and composed himself, trying to calm himself down, “A possible lover. A good friend.” He studied Kuroo’s face carefully and smiled, “I wasn’t lying either when you asked why I opened my cafe around this area,” He couldn’t help but begin blushing again, “And I have been feeling this way, ever since high school.” 

Shocked. That was how Kuroo felt. High school? That was when he started catching feelings for Kenma, was he so drawn to his past lover and he was so oblivious to one of his closest friends’ feelings? He gulped and sighed heavily, just how painful was it for Yaku, to know that his crush would never reciprocate his feelings? And just how devastated he must have felt right now, knowing that he would reject him? 

“Kuroo, you know there are 7 billion people in this world, and I think that sometimes it is possible to have more than one soulmate.” He blurted the words out and turned to Kuroo, with an exhausted smile, “But maybe I’m just not one of them.” 

First Kenma visits his dream, and now Yaku says these things. Kuroo panicked, he had never thought that Yaku would actually like him, and he is right, 7 billion people are living in this world and it is simply impossible that he could only have 1 soulmate. But could that someone be Yaku? He had so much going on inside his head, he then glanced at Yaku, “Please, give me some time to think about this.” 

“You don’t have to, I’m just being selfish, and I am fine with things between you and me now, what I am concerned, is you.” He snickered, he crossed his arms and turned away, “So, why did you skip work?” He asked, as if the conversation they just had had never existed. 

Kuroo tilted his head and rubbed the back of his head, if Yaku is really fine with things between him, then so be it. He shook his thoughts away and gulped, “Kenma visited my dream last night.” 

Yaku jumped a little from surprise, he leaned towards Kuroo and studied his expression, nodding his head, he smiled, “It’s a good thing though, right?” 

“Yea, I guess. But I couldn’t recall what he told me.” 

“And how are you feeling?” 

“Kinda… happy. Happy that I can finally meet him, but angry at myself for not remembering our conversation.” 

“What do you think he said?” 

Kuroo pondered for a while, he had known Kenma ever since they were kids, they would know what was going inside each other’s heads, so what would Kenma say? 

He laid on the sofa, trying to recall everything that had happened between them and that dream. Then, a certain sentence popped up in his head, something Kenma had said when they were still at high school. 

“I like seeing you happy…” 

Part 8  
“Thanks for checking up on me, I just had a headache this morning, I’ll get to work tomorrow,” Kuroo said nonchalantly, he leaned against the wall and opened the door for Yaku, who claimed that he should head back to work. 

Yaku gave me a reassuring smile, patting his shoulder, “You better. Your colleagues come to my cafe very often, so I know.” He said sheepishly with a wink, he then took out his phone and sent some message to Kuroo through messenger. 

“If you’re interested, feel free to come to the reunion on Sunday, the team… they miss you a lot.” He said, he then waved at Kuroo, “We- I miss you.” 

Kuroo locked the door after bidding farewell to Yaku, he grabbed his phone from his coffee table and read the message that Yaku sent carefully. 

“Nekoma High Students Reunion! @6:00~10:00! March 1st Sunday! Golden Night!” He let out a small chuckle, smiling at it, he was sure that this reunion was organised by Yamamoto, the excessive use of exclamation marks was awkwardly stupid, and he had been organising reunions each year after he graduated.

Kuroo and Kenma used to go there every year as well, after all, the happiest times spent at school were probably with the team, but after his passing, he simply lost every motivation to go there. 

2 years… Kuroo thought, he sighed heavily and went to his bedroom to check his closet, picking some decent clothing, “Perhaps it will be nice to see them again…” He mumbled to himself, grabbing a white shirt and a red checkered jacket with a pair of ripped jeans. 

“I like seeing you happy.” 

~

The crowd chanted happily in different groups, fluorescent lights shone brightly, Kuroo wasn’t expecting the reunion to be this chaotic and bizzare, last time he came to the reunions, they were simply in restaurants, but now? A karaoke bar. 

He saw a few of his former kouhai singing and dancing together, he saw a few of his senpai ordering food for the night, then he found his crowd. 

There stood Lev, his silvery-white hair soft and brushed tidily, he was wearing a black hoodie and he looked rather humble compared to the pictures Kuroo saw on posters when he walked by shops. 

He walked towards with his usual devilish smile, “Lev!” He said happily, he swung his arm around his kouhai’s neck and ruffled his hand through his silver hair, “How are you?” 

Lev giggled in a silly manner like he always had back in high school, “Great! I have received good feedback from people for my modelling career, how about you?” 

Kuroo nodded his head and noticed Yaku approaching them, “I’m… doing fine.” He said nonchalantly, he waved at Yaku and let go of Lev, “YAKKUN~!” He said enthusiastically, maybe because he hasn’t met his friends for so long, he suddenly missed them so much. 

Seeing their familiar faces again warmed his heart and he smiled at Yaku brightly, “You came!” Yaku said happily, “The others are late, we can order food first.”

He gave Lev a nod and latched onto Kuroo’s arm, leading him towards the menu, which was stuck on the wall near some tables. Kuroo noticed the awkward tension between Yaku and Lev, so he sat on a couch and rested his cheek on one of his palms. 

“What even happened between you and Lev?” He asked, his eyes following Yaku who sat down opposite to him. Yaku cleared his throat, crossing his arms, “None of your business.” 

“Hey, you have helped me a lot, so please do tell me.” Kuroo pushed further, but Yaku simply groaned, “Shut up,” He pondered for a while and sighed, rubbing his temples. 

“I just don’t reciprocate his feelings, that’s it. He confessed to me and I couldn’t feel the same way. Lev is like an annoying little brother to me, I couldn’t see him that way.” Yaku said regretfully, suddenly, Kai passed by, with his usual understanding smile that he wore, he gazed at Kuroo with surprise. 

“Kuroo? Y-you’re here? Wait.” He stood there staring at Kuroo with confusion and looked at Yaku, who was smiling at him, he then licked his lips and cleared his throat, “I’m so glad that you’re here, it’s been a while.” 

Kuroo stood up and hugged Kai, “Yea… I miss you a lot, how have you been?” He asked, he pulled away from the hug, and Kai gave him a bright smile, “Amazing, I just went to Korea a week ago…” 

He began sharing his experience happily and Kuroo was so glad that he could catch up with his friends after all these years, suddenly, Kai handed Kuroo his phone, “Give me your contact, and your social media username, it has been so long.” he said in his reassuring tone. 

Kuroo nodded his head, and so they exchanged contacts. Kai patted his shoulders, squeezing them tightly, “I’m really happy that you’re here.” 

The fluorescent lights shone brighter, bright, dazzling colours of red, blue and green everywhere, the students chanted lyrics out manically, some were already drunk, and some were continuously eating. 

Kuroo, Kai and Yaku approached the dance floor, they swayed their body freely and however they want, it has been so long ever since that Kuroo felt so relieved, and this wasn’t any forged happiness he was experiencing, they pushed all their worries away, feelings they might held for each other, or regrets that they had in the past, they all pushed it to the back of their mind. 

“I like seeing you happy.” 

And I’m happy now Kenma. 

He swayed his body and glanced at Yaku, his heart skipped a beat and Yaku returned a smile to him. 

7 billion people in this world and I wonder if we can actually be together. 

He then saw Lev, who was leaning against a wall, gazing at Yaku ever so lovingly, he was so… so in love. He almost looked at Kuroo from a few years ago, the Kuroo who would smile just at the thought of Kenma, and right now, he saw that Kuroo within Lev. 

7 billion people in this world and I wonder if we’re actually meant to be. 

Yaku smiled brightly under the fluorescent lights, his hazel eyes reflecting the rays of the lights and it made Kuroo flustered. 

Lev glanced at Kuroo, he clenched his chest tightly and sighed, he gazed at his former teammates and smiled. 

7 billion people in this world and I wonder if I can be the one who makes you happy. 

“KUROO SAN!” Yamamoto cried, attempting to give his senpai a hug in which Kuroo has dodged it with a smirk, he snickered and rubbed Yamamoto’s head, “Hey.” 

“YOU’RE HERE! YOU’RE ACTUALLY HERE!” Yamamoto said excitedly, he pranced around Kuroo with the brightest smile and his eyes were brimmed with tears, “WE’RE ALL SO HAPPY…” He said droopily, Fukunaga passed by with a smile, waving at them. 

They had a few conversations together, exchanged contacts and social media, Kuroo hasn’t been on any platforms for quite some time already as he found it disturbing, but maybe following his teammates’ accounts could let him know more about what’s going on in their lives. 

“Where is Inuoka?” Kuroo asked Yamamoto and Fukunaga, he got off the dance floor and leaned against a wall, shoving his hands inside his pockets, Yamamoto tilted his head a little, “He said he couldn’t attend today’s reunion, probably got a date or something.” He then took out his phone and showed Kuroo Inuoka’s instagram account, “You should follow him,” he then proceeded to show the rest of the teammates’ accounts so that Kuroo could get more involved in their lives. 

“We’ve missed you a lot, when that happened, you completely lost yourself, we lost all contact with you except for Yaku… We’ve tried to ask him for your new contact but he said we need to respect your privacy.”He let out a loud burst of laughter and squeezed Kuroo’s shoulder, “But we’re glad that you finally pulled yourself out of it.” 

“We’re happy for you,” Fukunaga said sheepishly, his back a little bent and his held a thumbs up, he gave Kuroo a smile. Kuroo… really missed them, the last time he held conversations with his teammates was at Kenma’s funeral, since then, he had never had the initiative to meet them. 

I’m happy now Kenma.  
He turned to Yaku, who was dancing with Kai now, he gazed at him affectionately, then he glanced at Lev who was staring at him, they blinked at each other with surprise and confusion, then Lev gave him a nod, he then smiled and he appeared to be mouthing something, something similar to “I give up.” Kuroo blinked at him blankly, he bit his lips and clenched his fist tightly, but he returned a reassuring nod to Lev. 

7 billion people, and I’d rather be friends with you all instead.

~ 

Kuroo placed a batch of flowers on the grave, he kneeled with a content smile, his obsidian eyes filled with hope and bliss, “Happy 26th Birthday Kenma.” He placed a black kitten keychain with a red ribbon tied around its neck and he turned to his former teammates, who were greeting him with a smile. 

The crimson sky was covered with a blanket of clouds, with shades of orange and pink, the warm glow fell onto their faces affectionately and a soft breeze of wind blew against their cheeks, living in serenity, the team gave Kuroo a reassuring grin, in which Kuroo has returned with a beatific smile. 

I’m happy now Kenma.

16th October, 2021


End file.
